Coking retort oven



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2 Sheets-Sheet l WN w?.

Filed Aug. 2, 1939 J. VAN ACIKEREN COKING RETORT OVEN June 25, l f l Iii J VAN ACKEREN COKIN@ RETORT OVEN 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 2. 1939 INVENTOR. Jue/w vmv ,4c/raken'.

Patented am@ ze, 1940 i anfrefu'il ori-Ice @OKING RETOBT OVEN Joseph van Ackeren, Pittsburgh, Pa.. asslznorito Koppel-s Company, -a corporation of Delaware Application 'August 2, 1 939. Serial No. 288,015

13 Claims.

The present invention relates to horizontallyelongated coke ovens and contemplates more especially improvements in the rich fuel-gas distributionl systems of coke ovens having their heating-gas distributed to the heating ues ac` cording tothe well-known underjet principle.

An object of the prrsent invention is to furnish a simple, novel and advantageous improvement in the disposition, within thevstructure of an under- `let coke-oven battery of tho`se header-pipes that comprise their rich fuel-gas distribution systems length above those temperatures at which con- 25, densates will' be precipitated from rich heatinggas howed therethrough.

A further object of the invention is the provision iorlunderietbatteries of means whereby the .frich'heating-gas can be supplied, from a common 30 conduitl'and at a substantially uniform temperature throughout an entire battery, to each oi those now-control means that regulate the volumes of rich gas introduced into the individual heating ues, thereby tending both to decreasethe diversity of the calibrated apertures previ-1 ously required in the gas-flow control-meansand to,promoteand to simplify maintenance of unlform heating-wall temperatures throughout the structure.

The invention has Afor-*further objects such other improvements and such other operative advantages or results l.as may be found to obtain in the processes or apparatus hereinafter describe or claime'cf, Y

In underjet coke ovens, Athe distributive systems for 'the underring `gases of higher thermal content comprise interconnecting conduits or pipes that spread out as a sort of networkbeneath the supporting-mat of an entire battery of suchV 50 ovens and are generally arranged to distribute heating gas from acommon point to all of the heating fines of'the coke ovens comprising the battery. In such coke ovens, the distributive systems forheir rich fuel gas have been heretofore located in the open spaceof a basement or of (Cl. IN2- 141) I accessible passagewaysvlocated beneath the battery-supporting mat, and from such location the various regulatory features for adjusting the flow oi heating gas to the heating tlues individually, are conveniently accessible to the coke-oven oper- 5 ators. .In general, such distributive systems comprise a principal supplying-main that is communicably connected with a reservoir of rich gas outside the battery structure, and as it extends along beneath the battery, it has branching 1o therefrom a plurality of header-pipes each 1ocated generally beneath a single heating wall and extendingv in substantial'parallelism therewith. From each such header-pipe, if not all, each at least oi a large portion of the heating ues of l5 the heating wall thereabove is provided with individually regulated quantities of heating gas apportioned thereto by the action of flow-control y means located in a riser pipe that extends upwardly from said`heating-wall header-pipe and communicably connects it with a single heating flue bymeans o! a vertically-disposed conduit or duct that itself extends from the lower surface oi the supporting-mat for the battery upwardly through a regenerator wall and nnally ports at its upper end in the lower part of a heating nue.

In prior practice, the heating-wall header-pipes of such rich incl-gas distribution systems have been usually dependent from the lower side of the battery-mat and therefore outside the structural mass thereot where they were exposed to all the thermal conditions and uctuations thereof occurring in the basement of the battery. In consequence of recent improvements contributed to the lay-product coke-oven art and designed to maintain the mat and the atmosphere in the battery basement at lower temperature levels not only for the purpose of protecting the structural materials but or providing comfortable working conditions therein, such improvements being exempliiied for example in the improvements found v'in Joseph Becker U. S.jPatents Nos. 2,102,608 and 2,102,000 issued December 21, 1937, and which provide means for withdrawing the whole or a part of the required combustion-air for underl rlng the battery from the 'basement therebeneath, the range of the temperature-fluctuations in the atmosphere of the battery-basement has 'Iatterly assumed increased importance because the preferred lower range of temperatures maintalnable in this part of the battery by means of the cited improvements can, under certain. circumsanoes and conditionspiweather, have the eiiect of so reducing the temperature of the rich fuel-gas, as it is flowed through its distribution 5o system, that there appear condensates therein.

which can become a source of considerable perplexity to the operator. This situation more especially arises at points in the distributive system `more remote from the inlet thereto where the exposure is longer. Such condensates have atendency to accumulate in the relatively small openings of the flow-control means for regulating the volumes of gas apportioned to the separate heating iiues, thus altering their calibration and making it extremely diflicult to maintain any extended period of operation of the ovens with uniform thermal conditions along the heating walls without a constant cleaning of the headerpipes as well as those devices for apportioning fuel gas directly to the separate heating nues.

Preheating of the rich fuel gas to reasonable temperatures, at the inlets of their distributive systems, has been shown to be incompletely satisfactory. because under certaim weather conditions it has been found that the so-added heat is lost by radiation in even reasonably lagged header-pipes and as will be appreciated by those experienced in the art, this circumstance becomes increasedly aggravated in larger batteries of ovens which, for reasons of economy, have been furnished with but one inlet to the rich gas distribution system. A reasonable amount `oi? lagging on the relatively small header-pipes has been found beneficial but .not to be a complete solution of the described potential source of operating disturbance. Accordingl to the present invention those header-pipes, that branch from the principal supplying-main of the rich fuel-gas distribution systems for underjet coke-oven batteries and supply such gas directly to heating walls: thereof,

\ are located closely adjacent to or are partially or completely included within the structural mass that forms the'supporting-mat for such batteries. In such location, the said header-pipes are preferably completely surrounded by thematerlal of the mat (usually reenforced concrete) which thus assumes the role of insulation-means for the header-pipes and shields'them against liuctuations of temperature in the atmosphere of the battery basement. At similar levels thereof, the temperatures in the interior of the mass of the battery-mat are at all times relatively constant in consequence of heat being continuously conducted into it from the heated masonry of the regenerators and their sole-channels lmme diately thereabove, such thermal conditions being by this means relatively` uniformly maintained from one end of the battery to the other. Embedding of theheader-pipes in this portion of the battery structure therefore furnishes the beneficial results that the smaller streams of fuel gas flowed Ainto such headers are well protected against loss of their heat content-they can under certain circumstances-actually absorb heat from the surrounding mat-and also that the fuel gas in all of such heating-wall header-pipes for an entire battery are at substantially the same level of temperature, thereby greatly simplifylng the problem of uniform heat distribution because the fuel gas will thus arrive at the vflow-control means of all the individual heating flues at substantially the same temperature. In those instances where the temperature is relatively high at which undesirable condensates appear in an individual fuel-gas, the improvement provided by the presentl invention may be used in combination with a step for pre-heating such gasbefore it enters the distribution system and asoman Y 'the instant improvement will operate to prevent ment of the battery and in the fact that the material of the pipe-headers can serve to replace reenforcing steel that would otherwise be required for the strengthening of the mat-structure. e

In the accompanying drawings forming a part i of this specification and showing for purposes of exempliication a preferred apparatus and method in which the invention may be embodied and practiced but without limiting the claimed invention specifically to such illustrative instance or instances:

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional elevation taken crosswlse ofa battery embodying the present improvement, said section being taken in part vthrough a coking chamber and in part through a iiued heating wall;

Fig. 2 is a' composite vertical section taken lengthwise of the battery illustrated in Fig. 1, sections A -A and B-B being taken respectively along the lines A--A and B-B of said figure;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragment, parts insection, showing the heating-wall header-pipes of invention in combination with means for regulating the volume of 'rich fuel-gas i'lowed intoV a heating flue;

Fig. 4 is a modification of Fig. 3, showing the wall-headers only partially embedded in the mat; and

Fig. 5 is a modiication of Fig. 3.

The same characters of reference designate th same parts in each of the views of the drawings. Referring now to the drawings: there is illustrated a coke-oven battery of the underjet class having the well-known heating flue construction characteristic of the Becker oven. The

present invention has been embodied for purposes of its following .description in a battery of this type both 'because it is representative of the typefor which. the improvement has been provided and for the sake of simplicity, although it will be understood that the features of invention are equally suitable for employment in all classes of coke-ovens supplied with rich fuel-gas according to the underjet principle.

'I'he illustrated coke-oven battery comprises va plurality of the usual coking chambers I0, In, disposed lengthwise of the battery in alternation with heating walls' II, Il. 'I'he heating walls are each sub-divided into a plurality of vertically- I1. Between said mat 'Iii and foundation-plate I1, there is the battery basement which comprisesv passageways I8 through which the oven operators can walk beneath the entire battery and from which passageways equipment for controlling the flow of heating gas to the heating ilues .are accessible for regulation.

Coal charged into coking chambers I0 through.k

y vcharging holes Il, I9', is carbonized by heat absorbed from the heating walls II, II. 'Ihe vertical heating ues I2, I2, of said heating walls in the illustrated battery can be optionally heated either by the combustion o! regeneratively preheated lean gas such as. blast-furnace or producer gas which is owed into the sole-channels I3, I3, and thence into regenerators Il, Il, from lean-gas mains 20, 20, that themselves canv be intermittently communicably connected with said sole channels by means of valved now-regulating boxes 2|, 2l, and of which some of the boxes are disposed to introduce either lean fuel gas or air into the regenerators in one regenerative phase and to direct combustion-products into waste-gas tunnels -in the other phase whereas thers are adapted to ow only combustion-air into the regenerators in one regenerative phase and to cause combustion-products to fiow into said waste-gas tunnels 'in the other phase.

Heating nues I2 .each communicate with two regenerators it, that are located on opposite sides of the regenerator capital-walls 23, by means of a pair lof ducts 24. When underilring only with regeneratively-preheated combustion media, in one regenerative phase one of saidV regenerators is preheating combustion-air while the other on the opposite side of a regenerator `wall 23 is preheating a fuel gas of low thermal content before they enter the heating nues there to burn, and during the next phase both oi said regenerators are flowing combustion-products to the waste-gas tunnel, and during a regenerative heating cycle such a regenerator pair simultaneouslyoperates as inilow and outnow regen- `prises the principal supplying-main 2b that extends longitudinally oi the battery substantially its entire length and communicably connected therewith by means of the geniculate pipingconnections it, there is ior each heating wall a header-pipe it that extends from end to endV is conduit means adapted for flowing rich gas into the fiues in regulated quantities, each such conduit means comprising a short pipe-length 2a, a pipe-cross ill, a vertically-disposed pipe 3i, that extends upwardly from the upper branch oi saidpipe-cross through battery mat i5, and

a duct 32 formed in a regenerator wall 23. At

its lower end, duct 32 communicates with pipe 2i and, at its upper end, ports into the lower part of a heating flue.

For adjusting the volume of rich fuel-gas .ilowed from header-pipe 28 into the individual heating iiues, each pipe-cross 20, as clearly shown in Fig. 3, is provided with a replaceable princeaaoaese l g plug 33 having a perforation 34 through which fuel gas is ilowed into pipe 3i, as indicated by the arrows, and' thence to a heating nue. Oriflceplug Il is positively mounted on the inner walls 'of the pipe-cross by means of threads and is replaceable by another having ari-aperture with a diierent calibration by removing pipe-cap 35 from the opposite branch of the pipe-cross, the battery-mat being provided with a shallow crosswise-extending channel 36 of suicient width to permit convenient access to said plug from the l battery basement. This gas-nowl regulating arrangement ls described in arco-pending application ot Gustar E. Salkvist S. N. 256,427 led February-15, 1939. It has been employed in comblnation with the present invention because it advantageously provides a means whereby the volumes of fuel gas ilowed to individual heating fiues can be conveniently varied without breaking the walls of permanent connections between the header-pipe 28 and the pipe l3 I, this being an important feature in that as a result it is possible, if desired, permanently to embed both. members yand 3| in the structuralmass of the batterymat and to leave only relatively short lengths of exposed piping therebetween.

According to the improvement provided by the present invention and as clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the heating-wall header-pipes were, in contrast to prior practice in which they were suspended from or at least located below the' lower surface oi the battery-mat, are preferably embeddecl within the structural mass of the mat itself 'wherethey not only have the advantage `of its protectionagainst fluctuations in temperature of the atmosphere ol the battery basemenawhich in consequence of recent developments in the art are now advantageously restrictableto a temperature range so lowered from-that which formerly obtained in thispartofrthebattery that the distributed fuel-gas can at times be reduced to temperatures below that at which condensates develop therein, but are able to utilize heat conducted into the mat from the closely adjacent regenerator structure to maintain them and the iuel gases owed therethrough above temperatures at which condensates can be formed in the gas streams, thereby" eliminating possible tendency of suhrcondensates to collect in the small metering apertures in the dow-control means and to alter their calibration. At the same levels thereof, the `temperatures of the mat are substantially uniform. By therefore locating 'the heating-wall header-pipes all at' substantially the same level of the mat, the present invention provides means whereby fuel-gas owed through all the said header-pipes can be maintained at approximately the e temperature throughout the entire batteryetherebygobviating the disadvantageous and formerly observed drop in fuelgas' temperatures especially at points remote from' the inlet to the distributive system.

From the top of the mat-structure to the lower surface thereof there is a considerable drop in its temperature in a heated battery, for example,

when the top of the mat averages 175 C., the

zone .adjacent the lower surface may average C. This temperature diierence may however be modified by such factors as the actual thickness of theA mat and its materials of constructty of insulating material n tween the bottom of the sole-nues and the top of the mat, the number and thickness of the brick-courses in the bottom of the sole-nues, and the atmospheric temperature and the extent of ventilation in the--battery-basement. Also, in the regenerative heating cycle, the said temperature difference between the mats upper and lower surfaces will fluctuate accordingly as the sole-nues above a mat-section are inflowing or outowing sole-iiues. During the, construction ofthe battery.' the heating-wall headers-pipes where it is employed in battery-structures with higherv temperatures in the mat such as obtains in those instances where the mat is relatively thin or where there is little if any provision of insulating material between the'top of the mat and the lower part of the regenerator sole-ducts with resultant higher temperatures in the mass of the mat, it is desirable to surround the heating wallheaders only partially with the mats structural material, as shown in Fig. 4, thereby taking advantage of only a part of the mats capacity to heat and protect the wall-headers, the exposed portion being optionally covered with insulation I2. In other such instances it will be suilicient to place the wall-headers in' substantial contiguity with the lower surface of the mat so that the gas is heated but not too much by the radiation of heat from the mat.

By providing -means whereby improved uniformity of fuel-giis temperature can be maintained at the inlet of all the flow-control means for the individualheating ilues, uniformity of "heating in the heating walls is greatly facilitated,

calibration of the flow-control means for the entire battery is signicantly simplied and by eliminating the possibility of the formation of condensates in the distributed gas, a serious obstacle to continued /regularity in the heating of underjet coke-ovens is eliminated.

The invention not only contemplates forming the heating wall-headers integral with the mat but also proposes the provision of pre-formed conduits in the-mat and into which the wall-headers may be inserted and either tightly or loosely fitted depending upon the degree of atmospheric circulation it is desired to promote between the walls of said pre-formed conduits and the external walls of the wall-headers, as shown in Fig. 5.

- wherein `a wall-header 31 is shown loosely as well as removably positioned in pre-formed conduit 38.

By extracting pipes 29 from threads 40 whereby they are attached to said wall-header, the latter is slideably removable from the pre-formed conduits 38. The free-space 4I between the exterior of a header 31 and the inner walls of a pre-formed conduit may be optionally adjusted to give a pre-- ferred regulation of atmospheric circulation therethrough from the open ends at the battery. faces.

1. Underilring apparatus for a regeneratively heated coke-oven of the underjet type having a coking chamber and ilued heating walls therefor disposed on opposite sides thereof, regenerators itherebeneath, a massive supporting structure beneath the regenerators and itself supported above an accessible passageway, and a distributive system for supplying non-regeneratively-preheated fuel gas to the ilues of the heating walls comprising a principal conduit -having communicably connected therewith a plurality of horizontal subordinate conduits each individual to and in substantial parallelism with an associated heating wall and extending longitudinally beneath the regenerative system, and riser conduits with regulating 'devices 'therefor communicabiy connecting the respective ues of the heating walls with the horizontal subordinate conduits, and in which the subordinate conduit for a heating wail is disposed -in contact with the oven supporting mass so #est heat will be derived therefrom by the subordinate conduit to overcome substantial tendency toward loss of such heat by a fuel gas ilowed therethrough as would cause condensation from gas in the horizontal subordinate conduit.

2. Underfiring apparatus for a regeneratively heated coke-oven of the underjet type having a coking chamber and uedheating walls therefor disposed on opposite sides thereof, regenerators therebeneath, a massive supporting structure beneath the regenerators for Vsupporting the oven above an accessible passageway, and horizontal duct means for owing non-regeneratively-preheated fuel gas to the heating fines of the respective heating walls, the duct means for a heating wall comprising a duct extending lengthwise ofv the heating wall and imbedded in the massive supporting structure andhaving upwardly leading communicable connections disposed there- 'along and provided with regulating means, for

-iiowing regulable quantities of non-regeneratively-preheated fuel gas into a plurality of heating ues of the heating wall individually.

I3. Underiixing apparatus for a regeneratively heated coke-oven of the underjet type having a coking chamber and ued heating walls therefor disposed on opposite sides thereof, regenerators therebeneath,.a massive supporting structure be- [posite sides of a coking chamber disposed between the ilued heating walls, regenerators beneath the heating walls and chamber, a massive supporting structure adjacent the base of the regenerators for supporting the oven above an accessible passageway, and duct means extending longitudinally of the heating walls under the regenerators for flowing non-regeneratively-preheated fuel gas to heatingues of heating walls thereabove, the duct means for a heating wall being surrounded by and contiguous with the oven supporting mass and having communicable connections therealong including regulating means for flowing regulable quantities of non-regenera- 15 aoslsso substantially co-extensive with said bores, said ducts communicating with oitakes therealong having regulating means therefor for the distribution of regulable quantities of non-regeneratively-preheated fuel-gas to each of a plurality oi heating iiues of a heating wall.

6. In a regeneratively heated coke-oven battery of the underjet type having a plurality oi coking chambers disposed in alternationA with 'iiued heating walls therefor, the combination oi: a battery-supporting mat that is itself supported above accessible passageways; a distributive system for owing non-regeneratively-preheated iuel gas to a plurality of heating Awalls from a common conduit, said system comprising a principal conduit having'communicably connected therewith a plurality of secondary conduits of which each is individual to a heating wall oi the plurality thereod served by said distributive system, and' is included in the matedit fifi

rial oi the battery-supporting mat and has communication with means for regulating the dow oi non-regeneratively-preheated fuel gasto a man oi heating dues in a heatingwall, said regulating me being disposed substantially am a hontally-entending plane intersecting said secondary conduits; and, in the lower suriace oi the battery-supporting mat, recesses adapted' to provide access iirorn the battery basement to the said dow-regulating means.

7. ln aregeneratively heated colse-oven battery oi theunderiet type having below the regenerative system a distributive system for dowing non-regeneratively-preheated fuel-gasto a plurality oi heating walls from a common conduit, said distributive system comprising wall- `lieaders that are surrounded by the vrnass oi said battery-supporting mat and have communication with how-regulating means that are positioned above the lowest level oi said wall-headers, accessible from under the mat, and communicate with upwardly Vextending ducts leading to thel -through the lower part of the oven structure to communicably connect said header with the heating dues of the heating wall, said branchconduits each having a device accessible from beneath the oven mat for adjustment or means lor regulating gaseous flow between said header and the respective branch-conduit.

9. In a regenerative underjet coke-oven having horizontal branch conduits adapted for feeding a non-regeneratively-preheated fuel gas comprising a constituent that is condensible at' atmospheric temperatures from a main to ducts oven structure to the heating flues and that are provided with regulating devices accessible for` regulation from an accessible passageway underneath a horizontally extending supporting mass for supporting the oven above the passageway, said horizontally extending supporting mass comprising a vmassive portion under the regenerators in proximity to the base of the regenerators and of a thickness Iadapted to have in operation a temperature gradient between the top and botthat rise upwardly through the lower part of the torn of the supporting mass including temperatures above the dew-point of said condensible of the fuel gas, and the horizontal branch conduit ior a heating wall ci the oven being located within massive structure n i i a part oi the supporting mass at a temperature region thereof which is adapted-to heat the branch conduit to prevent substantial condensation of said condensible. from the fuel gasl iiowed through the branch-conduit without material decomposition ireely accessible to operators for manipulation oi the underjet regulating means, an external main gas-supply conduit for non-regeneratively lpreheated fuel-gas tor a plurality or heatingwalls, la header duct leading from said main supply-conduit and extending therefrom lengthwise in parallel with a heating-wall and below the bottoni level oi the regenerators, riser ducts connected at intervals along said header and leading thereironi up into the respective nues of the heating-wall to l the fuel-gas into said dues individually, and regulating means connected with the lower ends of said risers respectively and disposed lor being regulated by manipulation in said accessible basement; the said header being disposed within and enveloped by the aforesaid massive supporting structure so that said ssive structure may protect the header gas-flow and maintain desiredelevated temperatures in the header, and the aforesaid regulating means protruding troni. the aforesaid massive supporting structure to aiiord the aforesaid accessibility for manipulation from beneath said massive supporting structure.

l2. Underiiring apparatus for anunderjet regenerative colse-oven having 'a wiring-chamber with fiued heating-walls on either side thereof and regenerators beneath, comprising in combination a massive concrete supporting structure under the regenerators and itself provided with supporting pillars disposed to adord below it a basement freely. accessible to operators ior manipulation oi the underjet regulating means, an external main gas-supply conduit for non-regeneratively preheated `fuel-gas for a plurality oi heating-walls, a header duct leading. from said main supply-conduit and extending therefrom lengthwise in parallel with a heating-wall and below the bottom level oi the regenerators, riser dit ducts connected at intervals along said header and leading therefrom up into the respective dues of the heating-wall to lead the fuel-gas into Isaid nues individually, and regulating means connected with the lower ends of said risers respectively and disposed for being regulated by manipulation in said accessible basement; the said header being disposed within and enveloped by the aforesaid massive concrete supporting structure so that said massive concrete structure may .protect the header gas-flow and maintain. de-

sired elevated temperatures in the header, and

' the aforesaid. regulating means protruding from the aforesaid massive concrete supporting structure to ailord the aforesaid accessibility for manipulation from beneath said massive concrete supporting structure.

13. Underilring apparatus for an underjet re- I generative coke-oven having a coking-chamber with ilued heating-Walls on either side thereof and regenerators beneath, comprising in combinationga massive supporting structure under vthe regenerators and itself provided with supporting vpillars disposed to aord below it a basement freely accessible to operators for manipulation of the underjet regulating means. an external main gas-supply conduit for non-regeneratively pre- -heated fuel-gas for a.v plurality of heating-walls,

-said accessible basement; the said header being disposed within and enveloped by the aforesaid massive -supporting structure so that said massive structure may protect the header gas-flow and maintain desired elevated temperatures in the header, and the aforesaid regulating means protruding from the aforesaid massive supporting structure to afford the aforesaid accessibility for manipulation from beneath said massive supporting structure, and the risers being connected laterallywith the header and having their connected regulating `means arranged to protrude laterally from the massive supporting structure into recessing provided in said massive structure to facilitate access to said regulating means.

' JOSEPH vAN ACKEREN. 

